Artists that create a Genre

Slim68 posted:

Hi to all,

While listening to Cognitive by Soen I started to consider where did this style of music originate?

I love Progressive Rock, Marillion were the first band I got "into" with this type of sound. But where did they get their influence? Genesis, some may argue!

Before that I would Listen to the Human League, Ultravox etc (and still do occasionally) Were the Human League the first? I do believe they were the first group to use only Synthesizers?

So, If you pick a Genre, who started it, what is your favourite and where did it come from?

 

First group to use only synthesisers? Not Human League I suggest, what about Kraftwerk or even before them Tangerine Dream (admittedly in a somewhat different way) and no doubt there were wholly "Electronica" bands/ artists before that. As for "progressive", there are so many sub-genres therein that it would be highly disputable who started it all. A bit like "heavy metal" or "hard rock" - wasn't that all kicked off by Johnny Kidd and the Pirates and "Shakin All Over"?

There are many artists who are sui generis - Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Tricky and Can for example, who sit above or apart from the genres they are associated with (metal/heavy rock, prog/psychedelia , trip-hop and Krautrock respectively) - but I can't really think of an artist who has actually "created" a genre.

A genre is really a construct (usually) imposed on artistic endeavour after the event and is a way of grouping togrther similar-sounding music (or a particular look - Mod, Ted, Two-Tone, etc).

Kevin

There's a glaring omission to your list.

The Jazz Funk Giants - SHAKATAK.

Slim68 posted:

Hi to all,

While listening to Cognitive by Soen I started to consider where did this style of music originate?

I love Progressive Rock, Marillion were the first band I got "into" with this type of sound. But where did they get their influence? Genesis, some may argue!

Before that I would Listen to the Human League, Ultravox etc (and still do occasionally) Were the Human League the first? I do believe they were the first group to use only Synthesizers?

So, If you pick a Genre, who started it, what is your favourite and where did it come from?

 

As for H. League and Ultravox and let's not forget Visage (Steven Strange sadly passed away last year) were the main actors in the so called Synth Pop scene.  Phil Okley in turn  once told they were strongly influenced by Kraftwerk.

More recently John Foxx with his project John Foxx And The Maths strongly relys on analogue synths. 

Regards

Roberto

One that helped erect the Industrial Gender: Trent Reznor / NIN

Einstürzende Neubauten started in 1980 and were very influential on the industrial scene. 

Of the synth bands, let's not forget the excellent Depeche Mode and the early OMD. 

It could possibly be said that Brian Eno triggered the ambient genre with his Music for Airports, Films and what have you. There was of course similar music around, but he was significant in coining the name - music that is interesting but not intrusive, or something like that. 

Absolutely, Eno has been probably the most influental figure for the past four decades ( i have dedicated shelves

for him in my collection, as for Depeche) While i see Neubauten roots more into the punk scene.

Hungryhalibut posted:

Einstürzende Neubauten started in 1980 and were very influential on the industrial scene. 

Of the synth bands, let's not forget the excellent Depeche Mode and the early OMD. 

yes. i'm a big DM fan. and Yazoo. LOL

Can we talk about proper music please

Arguably the two most important musical developments of the previous century were Schoenberg's development of atonality and Rosetta Tharpe's crossover from gospel based rhythm and blues into the first clear rock and roll records

A difficult question this because it's not always clear cut who started playing a type of music first.  Marillion are a good example, one of my fave prog groups but in their early days they were accused of sounding a little like everyone, a bit of Genesis, a bit of Rush etc etc.  Rush on their first couple of albums were accused of sounding like Led Zep.  I'd argue that both found their own distinctive sound in the end.

To answer the question I'd say that Nirvana were the biggest influencer of the grunge rock movement, although whether others were doing so in advance I couldn't say.  Elvis, Chuck Berry and others for rock and roll.  New York Dolls, Ramones and the Pistols for punk.  Black Sabbath for the first heavy metal band I think is fairly well accepted.  Blondie, Velvet Undergroound and others for new wave/punk.  

In my view these new genres or waves of popular music have always been what drove music onwards and it is something that is perhaps currently missing from modern music

I love how this thread has taken a different direction to what I expected. I imagined the likes of Elvis, Black Sabbath and the Beatles being discussed along side Genres I have no idea about.

Maybe the post should have been titled "Who defined a certain genre"?

I still think Human League were the first for a fully synthesized sound!!

While written about books ... http://www.theguardian.com/boo...t-historical-fiction may have some resonnance here.